An apology to my healthy and/or vegetarian friends..... I go a little crazy
this time of year for holiday gluttony. Of course, I still crave veg, fresh fruit, and simple soups, but every December I totally let loose cooking and gobbling up sweet treats, buttery polentas, creamy pastas, and beefy stews. I really can't help myself.

I've been itching to experiment with Bacon Candy ever since I saw
a recipe in Canal House No. 1 and another one from Adrianna, who serves her candied bacon crumbled on top of ice cream - hell ya.
I mean how can you go wrong serving up sweet, salty, crunchy
bacon!

Want to have friends over for cocktails and a tasty nibble? This bacon could be your hero. I imagine it would also make an awesome addition to a weekend brunch. It's outrageous. Don't you think you might just have to try bacon candy for yourself?

Flip bacon strips after 15 minutes in the oven. At this point, you'll want to check on the bacon every couple of minutes - it can quickly go from cooked to burned. If the caramel drippings on your parchment are getting too smokey, toss the paper out and put bacon back into the oven until it's done. I've found that my thin-cut bacon is done after 20-22 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon - a thicker bacon should take an extra 5 minutes. When it's done, you want the bacon to be glistening with the sugar glaze. Let it cool on a rack and it will crisp up. Tear strips in half or thirds. Serve and enjoy!

I have to give a holiday shout out to my buddies at Blackcreek Merchantile. They just gave me a stunning hand-made cherry wood board (that beauty in the first photo). When the box arrived, I felt as though Christmas had come early at my house - thank you Josh and Kelly! I bought a Blackcreek cutting board for my mom last year, and a few quirky kitchen tools for my friends. If you want something beautiful and practical for your kitchen that will last long enough to pass down to your kids, something that's handcrafted by really nice people in the good old USA, think about one of Josh's creations. Bay Area folks, you can find a huge array of Josh's work at March in SF (a dangerously enticing shop). Otherwise, peek at Josh and Kelly's website. You won't be disappointed. xxxooo E

My neighbor makes something similar that we call "crack bacon" - he just adds three kinds of pepper into the brown sugar topping (red, white, black) - not enough for you to tell that there's pepper in there, but enough to tell that there's "something else" going on.I've tried to copy it before, but never gotten the cooking down right - mine always burn! He calls me "cooking on high with alison" but I like your method and think I can actually make it work! thanks for the recipe :)

Alison, I bet all those peppers are a good addition. "Crack Bacon" - I love that! Have you tried cooking the bacon on a rack so that the drippings fall below? That might help on the burning front. Just a thought.Thanks!E

No apology necessary! You have outdone yourself with this one Erin. I absolutely love cooking bacon in the oven. Less mess, much easier! This will be a perfect snack for the holidays. Hope the book is going well. xoxo

In the US light brown sugar is NOT reliably GF - some kinds are colored with a wheat derived substance that can cause reactions in the highly sensitive. Might be safer to use dark brown on the maple sugar mentioned above.

Thanks for that heads up Cecelia. Wow. After all my years being gluten free - I thought I'd heard it all, but gluten in brown sugar? Yikes. I made note in the recipe for GF folks to check their labels.Thanks again!

True, it's the time of year where I loosen the waist band and just surrender. I'm not sure about bacon on ice cream either, but the salty sweet creamy thing... could be SO good. Plus I just love Adrianna's attitude.xxooE

Hi Erin!I don´t like bacon, chorizo and that kind of stuff lool ... sorry but this is not tempting for me :pMy mom loves bacon and i think i´m going to make this for her on Christmas :)I saw their website and they have great wooden cutting boards and spoons...their quality might be excellent! I share the same opinion as you..vintage kitchen tools are always the best! it´s nice to have kitchen tools that belonged to our grandparents..they have history and it´s something that helps to keep them (and memories) alive :DIn Portugal, we eat (on the street) roasted chestnuts wrapped in newspaper..the last picture makes me remind them because that´s the way they´re wrapped :pHave a nice weekend.Hugs

Bacon candy! I actually have that very Canal House book and must say that I've always been a little afraid of going down this road...how can you stop yourself?! I hope your December is off to a nice start, friend. xo

This sounds like one of those super skills which is incredibly dangerous to learn because I imagine once you start candying bacon, the temptation is to add it to everything ;) Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures too!

Oh no you didn't!! What an excellent thing to see first thing in the morning - thank goodness I've already had breakfast, or I would suddenly have massive bacon cravings. I love candied bacon, and yours is incredible gorgeous! Now I will admit that the only thing I don't like about cooking bacon in the oven is that the end product seems less fatty than when cooked on the stove - oops ;)

Are you getting yourself and your home in the holiday spirit? I can't even imagine xmas in a warm and sunny place.... although I sort of can. It seems dreamy. xoxo, all my best

All good here for the holidays. I haven't really gotten started yet in terms of xmas shopping, deocrating, etc. My girl Lilah has a birthday on the 16th so we always wait and let her have all the glory first.

My kids are waking up eating chocolate from their advent calendars - now that's the xmas spirit!

Erin!!! I was just looking at the jam it, pickle it, cure it cookbook last night (by Karen Solomon) and was drooling over her homemade bacon and now you post this! I think I'm going to have to make it this weekend.

And what are you using the oranges for? Is it just for drinks with the whiskey?Congrats on your new cutting board. It is pretty. Though I am coveting that metal mug you use for the bacon.

Jenn, Homemade bacon yum! So cool. My husband just went to a pig butchery class this week. I made him swear not to bring the belly home this as I actually went pretty overboard on the bacon while I was recipe testing!

A friend of ours introduced us to a great cocktail with whiskey, orange, bitters and maple syrup. Perfect with bacon candy!

I want to eat the whole cup! I have been looking for something to spice up my Christmas cookie boxes for friends/neighbors and I think this would do it! Do you think it would hold up well or does it need to be served immediately? Thanks

Kelly, I haven't been able to keep any around to know how it lasts. I'm thinking if you can get it really nice and crispy and keep it in an air tight container, you could keep it for a few days but not too much longer.Merry Christmas to you,E

I've made these a couple times. In the beginning, I would always burn to crisp. Lol. It just has such a second too long cooking span. I love it though since I now cook it perfectly. I'm a big maple bacon bacon person, and find I don't buy anything but maple now. If they don't, I make this. What is REALLY good is putting this as a pizza topping for meat! Yummmmm...

How cool is this, gorgeous shots! Nothing beats that cirspy saltiness, mmm. I remember seeing all kinds of trendy bacon products when I was in NYC last summer, haven't seen it in the Netherlands that much though.

Guinan, We've never been able to keep the bacon candy around for more than a few days before eating it all, so I'm not totally sure. But a few days in an airtight container works just fine.Happy Holidays to you,E

Hi!! I'm making these now, how would I store them? And how long will they last post cooking? I realize that you've probably eaten them all each time, but I'm baking for a wedding & need to make a lot.... Is this a day of kind of thing? Or can the be refrigerated and still stay crisp? Thanks!!!

Hey there, to be honest... we haven't be able keep the bacon candy around our house for much more than a day - we eat it all;)But I think you could keep it for 2-3 days in an air tight container. Maybe you could stick it back into a 350 oven to warm and crisp again? You may want to experiment with a batch or two before the big day.

thought you might be interested that this recipe facebook page is using your photo and recipe/post http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=156122007884897&set=a.117927805037651.24799.117925708371194&type=1

Thank you for sharing this recipe. Do you know if it stores well, able to be canned or vacuum packed? Hmmm maybe not vacuumed packed, LOL! Crumbles. But canned would be great. Maybe I'll have to experiment a tad. Just do not want to waste anything!Thank you!

My mom always used to sprinkle white sugar on her bacon while frying it up in a cast iron skillet when I was growing up! So good! I like the idea of roasting it in the oven; less mess! And brown sugar or even maple syrup (per another comment) sounds so flavorful!

Hi.....I have been planning on trying these but am stumped when it comes to the "baking rack". Is it a special baking rack? I have "cooling racks and have looked at stores for baking racks, but only find cooling racks. Are they one and the same?

So if I wanted to ship these to family members. How do you think it would be best to store it and for how long will they be good for? I figured a tupperware and two days, so I'd have to make them the day of shipping. But wanted to see if anyone else had done the same. Thanks!!

Hi Rebecca, I worry that the bacon will get soggy:( I would make a batch and give them a try and store in Tupperware or little glass jars for 2 days at home. Then give the bacon a try to see how the texture holds up. I often need to recrisp mine in the oven. I'd love to hear how it goes for you! Wishing you well this holiday season, E

HI Nissa, so sorry not to be of help on this one. We've always made the bacon candy and eaten it right away. I'm not sure how it would hold up. I worry that it would get a little soggy after sitting for few days. Maybe you could try a little test run this weekend and see how it lasts over the weekend?I'd love to hear how it all goes for you.Happy holidays,E

Just came across your recipe now. I've been making candy bacon for years now, and love it!! The only difference is I typically add it to my homemade marshmallows which make them amazing!! Albeit, I do admit that I am guilty of eating some before they find their way into the marshmallows!! :-)